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All I know is it’s lighter than a DH tire, tougher than an XC tire. It sounds a bit like Specialized’s SX casings, and—from way back—WTB’s Inner Peace. WTB was ahead on dual compounds and “freeride” casings.

The bike worked super well Saturday. Climbing and traversing felt slooooooow with the downhill tires (vs my normal Eskars), but the downhills were surefooted and felt like they were in slow motion. I nailed corners I’ve always drifted through.

I always wonder whether you can tell rider skills by his tyre choice… I use 1ply 72a UST Highrollers and absolutely can’t tell how exactly 42a 2ply DH tyres make me faster in a bike park. I can’t feel any difference (apart from being nearly double heavy) in the corners.

Bike looks great, I own a Nomad which feels a bit short yet too big fro trails. But not that short to spend money on new bike… I don’t think it will make me any faster either…

I think strong/skilled riders can ride any tires they want. I’ve seen Lopes rail on skinny semi-slicks (and kill the climbs). I’ve seen Keene hammer climbs with DH meats (then slay the downhills). I suppose it’s all about the situation and riding style.

In a bike park with clean, bermed turns, I think the XC tires would be faster overall. If you have a good berm, traction becomes somewhat optional.

Left Hand Canyon is very steep/rough/loose/raw. Eskars work quite well overall—Eskars have been my go-to tire for a couple years now—but I knew I’d be riding with young Skywalker, and that he was going to be on his downhill bike. I needed to be able to execute the downhills at my best, and didn’t want to be worrying about traction or pinch flats.

In that situation, the DH tires deliver noticeably more cornering traction, as well as overall stability and confidence. But—man—they were PIGS on the flatter parts. So piggish that those fun rocks and corners weren’t so fun because I was pedaling so freaking hard.

Random but related: For a while this summer, I ran some Specialized Fast Traks on my Stumpy. Compared to the Eskars, they felt much quicker/faster, and they had decent traction: fun medium-aggression trail tires. But the side knobs tore off after just a few rides. Back to the burlier, better supported Eskars.

Thanks for this comprehensive answer. I’d love to have one question more, although I can smell “it depends” in the air 🙂
When do you think a trail tyre gets heavy for an average joe (skills weight trails)? When does it get heavy and when do you actualy start finding excuses for lack of strength? compromising the grip and braking with lighter smaller knobbs.

I run these 900g each HRs on technical trails, but I am thinking of giving a try to some super light option like Conti Mking Supersonics which come nearly 400g lighter each. especialy now in winter as HR is a terrible drive tyre on wet trails (especialy roots)

I’ve found that on any given loop (which is every ride unless you have a lift), I spend about three or four times as long climbing as I do spend going downhill. So if I wanted to be faster on a loop, all things being equal:

– Terrain
– Bike
– Which part of the ride are you optimizing for?
– Is there a part of the ride where a certain tire is a deal breaker? Example: A light XC tire is just asking to be destroyed on serious DH terrain.
– What are you confident on?
– Etc.

I tend to end up on all-around tires like the Eskars. Pretty fast-rolling. Pretty good in the corners. Pretty long-lasting.